A history of the life of Amos Owens, the noted blockader, of Cherry Mountain, N.C

A HISTORY OF THE LIFE OF AMOS OWENS,
THE NOTED BLOCKADER, OF CHERRY MOUNTAIN, 'N. C.

M. L. Irtlhite

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Preface.

In offering this work to a reading and borrow-

g public, the Author does not deem it necessary
0 make an apology.

The characters are not creations of fancy, for

mos Owens at Cherry Mountain and Jerry Bjw-
lin at his mountain home are much in evidence.
Partly at the aged, infirm but still alive block-
ader, this work was undertaken, and partly at our
own inclination.

He did not feel adequate to the task, and was
handicapped by many difficulties. The hera of
Cherry Mountain, baing unlettered, has kept no
records, and hence has to depend on a treacherous
memory that is incident to over eighty years in
the making of history.

We cherished no fond hope of setting the river
on fire, and should such a conflagration occur, no
one would be greater surprised than the Authar.

Neither has it been the aim, as J. Proctor Knott
of Kentucky would say, ' 'to strain the blankets of
veracity, " but these characters are given as found
during a sojourn of eighteen years near the scenes
of their operations; while the incidents are partly
obtained from old and reliable resident witnesses.

This work was not intended as a stricture or a
series of strictures on the revenue service, nor as
an apology for the maker of contraband whiskey.

Neither is it expected to adorn the Sunday
School library, for the hero did not die young and
a picture would here be out of place of a funeral
scene with a youthful figure the central figure in
the repose of death surrounded by weeping friends
and relatives.

Nor yet is it expected that it be recommended
in a course of theology, nor that the absent-mind-
ed philosopher will draw inspiration from its

A History of Amos Owens' Life.

pages.

The effort to glorify .crime has been avoided,
and nothing here is given to cause the youthful
reader to desire a life of crime.

Nay, verily; but through all these pages runs
the solemn warning: "The way of the transgressor
is hard," and the effort has been made to preserve
a chaste and simple style.

Instead of a bewildering array of dates and an
intricate plot the effort has been made to remain
near the soil, which is the place if one ever expects
to get an enduring hold on the public.

With the passing of Amos Owens, the present
condition of affairs and the mandates of sdciaty
will soon relegate the blockader to the past— tlier a
a dim and fading monument of . a semi-barbar )ii<
age^ ; " \

The press and pulpit hurl their denuliciations at
this unholy traffic, and the stately stepping of eii-
cation brought about by modest, humble but n ^^13 ^
the less powerful school master who isnowabr :ad
and here to stay, will beat back many of the
hordes of intemperance and other powerful agen-
cies of darkness.

In the modest hope that no one will be worse by
the perusal, but that all may be enter tainel if ml
edified, and that our next bow will be hailed with
rapture, we trust this infant industry to the ten-
der mercies of a fun loving public.

I COEN CRACKER.

M. L. WHITE.
Polkville, N- C, Cleveland Co., Aug. 22, 1901.

A History of Amos Owens' Life.

Caption of Chapters.

CHAPTER I.

Youth, of a famous maker of contraband whis-
key. Parentage, and early school days. His ex-
perience at musters and record as a hunter, horse-
man and fighter.

CHAPTER n.

He begins his career as a distiller, and later,
bays "Cherry Mountain"— now celebrated in song
and story. His marriage briefly noted. Mention
ol Jesse R. DePriest, a quaint character of this
mountain. Amos becomes a fine farmer.

He enlists as a Southern volunteer. Is a sharp
shooter at Petersburg. Is at the "blow up." His
experience with dropsy. Prison life, and his to-
ba.c3 deal. Has typhoid fever coming home.
Health restored by working hard all night at a
distillery. -

CHAPTER III.

Resists the revenue tax. ' 'Bread the staff of life
and whiskey life itself," saith he, backed by the
sentiment of his neighl3ors. The "red-legged grass
hopper" becomes a burden. The revenue officers
given this sobriquet by ex-Governor and then Sen-
ator Vance. The famous black-heart cherry re-
gion. Part of ' 'The Switzerland of America. "
Cherry bounce invented.

CHAPTER IV.

His first trial for selling ' 'blockade, " or moon-
shine whiskey. "Beats the bond" by masquerad-
ing, and sells forty gallons at the trial. Is a cap-
italist in disguise, and is the pride andenvy of his

A HiSTOEY OF Amos Owens' Life.

less frond companions.

CHAPTER V.

Again is brought to trial. Sketch of "Rev."
Geo. Deck, of color, who alternately preaches and
operates a wild cat distillery. Passing notice of
"Cooney" Hunnicutt, a martyr of the whipping
post. Except a predeliction to lie, cheat and steal;
Honeycutt is an honest man. Col. Whangdoodle
Tessiner, also a witness. His absent-mindedness,
Amos comes clear, and again sells forty gallons.

CHAPTER VI.

Rise of "Invisible Empire," or "Ku Klux
Klan." Troubles of "Reconstruction." Negroes
and their leaders cause a clash. ' 'The U nion
Leagues. " The grotesque disguises and the terror
of the superstitious negroes. Amos is a leader.

Dectruction of James Justice's printing plant
and whipping of Aaron Biggerstaff . Martial law
prevails, and Amos Owens and others arrested.
Devotion of our hero. Randolph Shotwell, Adol-
phus DePriest, Plato Durham and others. The
above named are sentenced to a term of six years
at Sing Sing, Albany, New York, and all placed
in durance vile, except Plato Durham. While
awaiting trial, Amos sells whiskey at Rutherford-
ton and Marion, N. C. Plato Durham gets Amos
pardoned at end of two years, and fine of |5,500
remitted.

CHAPTER VII.

Is a free man once more, but finds that the red-
legged grass-hopper has again devoured his sub-
stance. Goes gunning; and lands in jail. Meets
' 'Aunt Polly Price, " a Rutherford youngster of 99
who has kept his bureau — rescuing the same from
the festive grasshopper.

A History of Amos Owens' Life.

CHAPTER Vni.

Is haled before Judge Dick at Asheville. The
dignified reprimand of • 'his honor, " and Amos
quotes the language of the governor of North
Carolina to the governor of South Carolina. Again
sent to Sing Sing. ' 'Kill the fatted prodigal, for
the calf has got back. " "One year for rest and
refreshments. " ' 'The place sought the man and
not the man the place. "

CHAPTER IX.

Improves his resort, or ' 'earth, " two stills de-
stroyed, Che.ry Mountain is the Mecca of conviv-
ial spirits, and they come from everywhere. The
varied festivities, dancing, flying jennies, the
prize ring. The pious young man from Gastonia
slays a man with an iron stirrup.

CHAPTER X.

The ' 'gander-pulling" the dog and chicken fights,
and deeds of mortal combat. Burt Franklin — an
ancient warrior, and a mighty "gander puller" in
the earth. Wanted to enlist in '98 to ' 'Remember
the Maine."

CHAPTER XL

The duel between two colored Lotharios, ' 'All
on account of Eliza, " Jack Badniss, colored, the
victor, J. Dudley Bomar "never came back." The
victor captures the one-eypd widow of 47, and her
$40. Is now living in splendor on Cherry Moun-
tain.

CHAPTER XIL

Is Amos Owens black as painted? He continues
to I still and sell brandy, whiskey and bounce, in
spite of Uncle Sam and the ' 'locusts. " He is
caught in South Carolina and imprisoned one

A History of Amos Owens' Life.

year. Heroic defense of Sheriff Glenn from the
assault of three negroes. Become the Joseph^ of
the prison. The bees swarm and Amos hives
them. They fight "like the colored troops" — no-
bly, but the old blockader captures them and
sings; "God Save the Queen."

CHAPTER Xni.

He improves Cherry Mountain — resolves to
build a tower or observatory in interest of service.
Was arrested, and the project failed.

CHAPTER XIV.

Again is captured, and is tried before Judge
Dick, sent again to Sing Sing w^here his reception
is characteristic. Amos claims he is there to take
a "post-graduate course."

CHAPTER XV.

Another blockader comes on the stage — a bold
bad man who shoots to kill. Terrorizes North and
South Carolina. A marshall and blockader by
turns. Is outlawed and traced to his lair. Des-
perate fight with captors, in which he is seriously
shot and wounded. Recovers and is exiled by court.

CHAPTER XVL

Another doing blockader Avho has reformed and
has symptoms of engaging in ministry. After a
desperate fight with his brother-in-law leaves the
territory. Author, wh!le not a lawyer, defends
him at a Cherry Mountain temple of justice. All
wept but the client, the "law^-er," and the mutes
thereof. Lives an exemplary life now, and would
preach, but can't read.

CHAPTER XVII.

The last trial of Amos Owens. By kindness

A HisTOEY OF Amos Owens' Life.

and an exhortation, Judge Dick wins a promise of
reform. Tearful, and later, a jubilant scene in
the court room. ' 'Go your way and sin no more. "

CHAPTER XVIII.

Mineral wealth, forestry, and grand and en-
chanting view of "The Land of the Sky" from
Cherry Mountain. Gold, silver, lead, mica and
manazite found here. What is, "Taxation with
out representation?"

CHAPTER XIX.

Yv^ork written by a man who never saw inside a
moonshine distillery. The work is attested by
good and living witnesses. Xo drawing on imag-
inations for buccaneers, pirates or bandits. Xo
incarcerated maidens who are sought out by spi-
der, legged dudes who wear tin shields and carry
dark lanterns and swamp angel pistols.

CHAPTER XX.

Xo romance worth mentioning, is on record as
to his courtship and marriage. The old man
worming and suckering tobacco and the girl peel-
ing walnuts. Married by a justice who took a
quart and a coonskin. "Took an observation, "
over the bottle. Went to a house three stories
long and one story high. Both still there. Squat-
ter Sovereignty. Jerry Bowlin as hard to dislodge
as Amos is to stop from stilling. The Syndicate,
backed by the majority of the law, tries to dis-
lodge him. The house comes down, but Phoenix-
like, it rises again. Jerry testifies on Sunday oc-
casions, that lightning in the north is a ' 'shore"
sign of rain. Given over to his devices, he still
digs, sand, peels tan bark, hunts squirrels and has
frequent "shindigs."

AMOS OWEISS.

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A History of the Life

— »?WSm-.—

The saying lias become trite, that truth is
stranger than fiction.

Tlie reahns of the latter abound in scenes of
blood and thunder, where pirates, Indians, coun-
terfeiters, cow-boys and others are the central fig-
ures, but another class exists in the mountain reg-
ions of Kentucky, Tennesee, North Carolina, Vir-
ginia and Georgia, that a true recital of their ad-
ventures, made of life, together with their fierce
conflicts with the minions of the law known as
deputy marshals, would be more thrilling than
any recital of deeds of daring or shrewd cunning
that adorn the realms of romance.

While these latter day Ishmaelites are not al-
ways depraved by nature, their peculiar calling
forces them to often become outlaws, and some of
them, outside of a deep-seated hatred of the ' 'rev-
enuers," as they are called in the vernacular of the
moonshiner, and a deep-seated defiance of the
"Grovernment" are good neighbors, and in all oth-
er respects', honest men, the noblest work of God.

In their isolated environments, they can raise
little but corn, and being remote from railroads
or commercial centres, the bread and butter prob-
lem requires that they make all they can of this
cereal.

Most of them are illiterate, and, therefore un-
progressive. , The "mixed team" of a mule and ox,

10 A HisTOBY OF Amos Owens' Life.

yea, sometimes the male and milk cow, the tar-
axle wagon, with the obsolete pattern of plow that
flourished in the days of Andrew Jackson, are
their equipment to wrest a living from the bosom
of mother earth.

While corn is worth from twenty five to fifty cts.
per bushel, and perhaps a two days drive from
their homes to a town where their quaint costumes
and grotesque teams provoke derision, and where,
after trying the market thef are told they will
have to ' 'take in trade" something they do not
want, they resolve to convert the same into whis-
key— a commodity that the depraved appetites of
mankind makes a "legal tender. " They, like all
other ignorant people, live in the ' 'good old days"
when whiskey was untaxed.

For their infraction of the revenue laws they
have been hunted like wild beasts and ferocious
bandits, and the fierce sanguinary encounters be-
tween them and the ofl3.cers of the government,
when fairly written, would be a series of thrill-
ing recitals. While ' 'Redmond, the Outlaw, " a
noted moonshiner of this State, has been the hero
of romance, and has contributed to recent history
as an avenger of blood for the "blockaders" or
makers of contraband whiskey as called in this
state ; a greater than Redmond is here. While the
deeds of Redmond and his henchmen rivalled the
reign of terror in Robeson, Richmond and Cum-
berland counties of North Carolina which were
perpetrated by Henry Berry and Steve Lowery,
Croaton bandits descended from John White's
last colony; the remarkable adventures of Amos
Owens, who is now enthroned on Cherry Moun-
tain, causes all the deeds of the other moonshin-
ing ilk to pale into insignificance. This remark-
able man was born over eighty years since on
Sandy Run, in Rutherford County, North Caro-
lina. His father was a ne'er do well, and would

A History of 'Amos Owens' Life. 11

fill the literary character of the present known as
the "cheerful idiot. " The grandfather of Amos
was also a native Tar-heel, and was a patriot in
the Revolution.

He was at King's Mountain where the dashing
and intrepid Col. Ferguson made the ranting
boast that "God Aimighey could not dislodge
him. " But the deadly marksmen of the McDow-
ell contingent, among whom was the Amos Owens
for whom the subject of this sketch ' was named,
with their deadly hair triggered rifles hurled the
minions of King Greorge from this eminence cele-
brated in song and story. Ferguson was slain, and
in five miles of the present castle of Amos Owens,
about twenty tories were hung, and the site of the
famous "gallows oak" is still pointed out to the
passer-by.

Except a rugged well knit frame, a constitution
like boarding-house butter, digestion like the
bowels of a threshing machine, there was nothing
specially unbearable about the youth of Amos
Owens. He was strong, active, an unerring shot,
and, while peaceable, would fight desperately
when aroused.

Grood markmanship, and athletic sports were
common with all young men and boys of that pe-
riod, and all grievances were adjusted by fistic
encounters. Amos is unlettered, having never
attended school but a few days. His instructor
was a queer Irishman known as "Old man
O'Neil. " The principal educational helps used in
this temple of knowledge were harness tugs and
barrel staves, and the play time diversions were
bull-pen and dog-fighting. Amos at this age
showed aversion to restraint, and a few applica-
tions of the harness tug caused him to "side-track"
on the road to learning.

At nine years of age he was hired out, and was
a ' 'hewer of wood and a dra war of water" till he

12 A HisTOKY OF Amos Q wens' Life.

.at t(ained the age of twenty three. •- ., r

: Among his neighbors were some wealthy gentle-
man, who had a great passion for .deer' hiintng
and fox-chasing. These men were respectively:
Dr. James Cabaniss^ John Lattimore, Joe; Latti-
more, D. B. Lattimore; William Elliott and Col.
A. J. Elliott.

Except P. D. Lattimore, -aged 82, and the hero
, of this story, all have passed over the river — J. C.
Lattimore dying two years since at the age of 84.
Amos was a fine rider, with the woodcraft and
hunting instinct of the red man of the forest, and
was, therefore, a welcome acquisition to any hunt-
ing party. He, also, became a noted breaker of
horses, and as such was in great demand.

Nothing eventful occur ed during this period
except his marriage to a Miss Sweezy, a near
neighbor, who still lives, aged 82. He took great
delight in attending the military "musters" of
this region, which did more to keep up the martial
spirit in actual pugilistic encounters, than to de-
velop a knowledge of military tactics. Men for
real or fancied grievances stripped to, the waist
and fought in a ring, sometimes as high as twen-
ty such encounters taking place in one day at a
muster. In these encounters Amos Avas a frequent
participant, and was never known to strike his
colors. At the shooting matches he became so ex-
pert, -that he was ruled out of matches for beef.
The only condition on which he was allowed to
compete, was to shoot for the "lead" which he al-
most invariably won.

CHAPTER n.

In 1845 he bought 100 acres of land from Thom-
as Calton near Cherry Mountain. He planted a
crop, but this was a season of universal drought.
All old people speak of the "dry year of 45."

In '46 he began his career, as a distiller, little

A History of Amos Owens' Life. 13

dreaming this career was to make liim famous.
He had no tax to pay, and being a good distiller,
he made money. Six years later, he bought the
historic Cherry Mountain, or rather 100 acres from
Jesse R. DePriest.

The latter was a celebrity, who figured as a
famous fighter, and was never downed in telling
of a more remarkable experience than any other
man he ever met, be he a stranger or home-talent.
As a stage driver, a fighter, or a ladies man, he
had the call over anything quick or dead he ever
met or read about.

Later, Amos bought 140 acres from William
DePriest, the father of the celebrated Jesse. No-
body wondered at the DePriests' for selling this
property, but all marvelled at Amos for making
the purchase. Jesse DePriest used to relate that
every crow that flew over Cherry Mountain had a
canteen of water and a haversack of rations
strapped to his person.

But Amos caused the desert to blossom as the
rose.

He made fine corn and oats, and his yield of
wheat was about 150 bushels every season. Neith-
er was he unmindful of the mountain ' 'legal ten-
der." He kept his still ranning, and his coffers
bulged ^4th filthy lucre.

When the war of '61 opened, he cast his fortunes
with the South, and enlisted as a volunteer in
the company made up by Capt. H. D. Lee, after-
wards promoted to major. His regiment was the
16th N. C, and he was in the Valley Mountain
region of Virginia and also at Manassas. At
Wolf Run, after serving twelve months, was dis-
charged, the army surgeons saying he had an
incurable case of dropsey. He was sent home, and
his neighbors thinking dropsey was "ketching,"
shunned him as they would the roving pestilence.

He stayed at home twelve months and entirely

14 A History of Amos Owens' Life.

recovered. His martial spirit chafed at inaction,
and he paid his own transportation to Salisbury,
N. C, where he enrolled in the 56th N. C. regi-
ment, in company under Capt. J. B. Harrill. He
wae detailed to hunt deserters, and to this line of
service was admirably adapted.

Later, he was in the seige of Petersburg as a
sharp-shooter. It is related that he always fired
after a careful aim, and as he took his smoking
rifle from his face, would say: "And may the
Lord have mercy on the soul of that blue-coat."

At the celebrated ' 'blow up" a South Carolina
regiment was over the mine, and they were an-
nihilated by the explosion. The regiment of
Amos was near, and when the smoke lifted from
the "crater," a division of colored troops were
pushed into the yawning chasm by the federals.
This was the most terrible scene of carnage af-
forded by that bloody war. The Southern troops
fired one volley, and gave them the bayonet. Ev-
ery negro in this charge perished, and Amos was
a participant in the sanguinary scene. He says
no more revolting sight was ever witnessed in
this lost and ruined world.

As a soldier Amos was brave and remarkably
vigilant. He seemed to love battle for battles
sake, and although "a high private in the rear
rank," frequently cursed his comrades for shoot-
ing up in the trees when the Yankees were just as
close to the ground as they could git."

He was captured at Dinwiddle, and carried as
a i)risoner to Point Lookout. Here he suffered
the ()rivations incident to prison life, but with his
characteristic buoyancy of spirits, resolved te
make the best of the situation.

He tried to laugh and grow fat, but learned
that all laughter and no food would not add to
his corporacity. Always a shrewd trader he con-
sidered one dollar in the hand, when a man was

A HiSTOEY OF Amos Owens' Life. 15

starving, worth five in tlie bush at his Cherry
Mountain home. He found a money changer in
the temple, who was a shining light of philan-'
thropy. This gentleman, touched by the round
unvarnished tale of woe, which Amos did unfold,
generously tendered Amos one dollar in "green
back" in consideration of a note bearing legal in-
terest for five dollars in gold. With this dollar,
Amos made a deal with the shylock who posed
as Sutler, and got all the plug tobacco purchas-
able for one hundred cents. This he cut into
"chaws" and did not make them too large. He
then' became a retailer of a concoction made of
fodder, cabbage and lamp black, but veneered
with tobacco.

Amos, among his other accomplishments had
never cultivated the habit of using the weed. For
one "chaw" he exacted a "tin" of soup and if
some rash speculator wanted two "chaws" he
parted company with a rasher of bacon. Amos
said on one side it was liberality and starvation,
while on the other was extorsion and high living.
He chose the latter, and in the experience and ob-
servation of this corn-fed philosopher who how
holds the pen, such a man as Amos who sell
chews of tabacco at ten prices are wiser in their
generation than the children of light who open
the brand of Liberality.

In three months he was paroled, and an arrival
at terminus of railroad, 60 miles from home, was
stricken With typhoid fever. Here he was, out of
money, out of tobacco, and among strangers. But
ever fertile in resources, he got home, and for
twenty-eight days the watchers sat in vigil at his
bedside, and Dr. Phillip Carson, a fine physici an
said: "He is bound to die." But his grim will-
power fought back the enemy, and in three
months an amaciated skeleton with little left of
Am)s Owens, but his fierce black eyes and mar-

16 A HisTOEY OF Amos Owens' Life.

tial spirit said he was going to his brandy distil-
lery. Dr. Carson was present and expostul-
ated. He declared if Amos rode that horse to the
distillery all the doctors in the State could not
keep him out of perdition.

The reply of Amos was characteristic. He said;
' 'Doctor you say if I go I'll be damned, and I say
if I don't go I'll b3 damned." By that time a
horse was brought around, that nobody but
Amos dared ride at any time.

The audacious patient mounted him and rode to
the distillery, and then worked hard all night.
From that time his recovery was rapid, and he
was soon the picture of rugged health.

CHAPTER III.

By this time a heavy tax was inposed on all
whisky and brandy, but Amos registered a blood
red oath that this tax heVl never pay.

He reverently believed that while bread was
the staff of life whiskey was life itself. That it
was the chief end of man to raise enough corn to
make whiskey, and convert the remainder into
bread. He had fought the government, been im-
prisoned by the government, been starved by the
government, and he didn't propose to divide pro-
fits of his whiskey business with the government.

The still was his, the corn was his, the land
was his, and the raiders of Kirk and Holden had
looted his property. Besides, the government had
freed the only negro he had, and he'd see them
al~>out getting tax.

Truth to tell, nearly all the people in the south
were in sympathy with such men as Amos. While
many of them were opposed on general principles
to the manufacture and sale of whiskey, the
esi)ionage of the federal revenue officers was
odious.

Amos owned Cherry Mountain which was 3000

(slorm Carolina :>TaTe Liorary
Raleigh

A History of Amos Owens' Life. 17

feet above the level of the sea. From here was a
most enchanting view of the mountain scenery
that is called the ' 'Switzerland of America, " and
from here could be seen Shelby, Rutherfordton,
King's Mountain, with a view of the mountains of
Georgia, Virginia and Tennessee. Here could be
breathed the pure air of heaven, and here as pure
limpid water as ever gurgled from the bosom of
mother earth rippled down the delves of the
mountains. Here grew the famous cherry trees,
some three feet in diameter, and are found no-
where else; that yielded every June a crop of
fruit remarkable for its size and flavor. Here was
found the ideal honey producing flavors of poplar,
chestnut and sourwood, and here was the ideal
range for the cattle of a thousand hills. The
home of the cow, the honey-bee, pure water and
invigorating mountain air, and not excelled on
earth for the fruit tree and the vine. Amos said
here would he build a castle like the baron of
feudal times, and here should be the land of milk
and honey, peach and honey, and the abiding
place of cherry bounce. No man had ever before
tried to adorn and beautify Cherry Mountain,
nor had it ever occurred to anybody to offer to a
convivial public this drink now celebrated in song
and story.

The preparation made and warranted by Amos
Owens is a compound of 44 blue steel whiskey,
honey and cherry juice. Later on, will deal more
minutely with cherry bounce, but at this period
Amos built a large cattle-like building and offer-
ed to a public this elixir.

CHAPTER IV.

The powers that be had issued the fiat that all
whiskey and brandy must be tax paid, or there
would be fines, imprisonment and confiscation.

18 A HisTOEY OF Amos Owens' Life.

Amos had said lie would make what whiskey and
brandy he pleased; and tendered the government
the '^ame pious message issued by the late lament-
ed Vanderbilt to the public.

In those days, the revenue officers were often
adventurers of the most unscrupulous character.
The inimitable Zeb Vance, ex-governor and sena-
tor, of North Carolina, satirically called them
"red-legged grasshoppers. " As Amos continued
to do business at the old stand regardless of the
government and the nuisance thereof, two officers
came up one day and placed him under arrest,
and otherwise harassed him, till the red-legged
grass-hopper became a burden. They were satis-
fied that he'd go if he promised, and as. he made
no resistance they took his recognizance to appear
at Asheville, N C.

He loaded up a barrel of "blockade" or moon-
shine whiskey, and told one of his henchmen to
come on three days after to Asheville. The fel-
low was shrewd and loaded a barrel of brandy
into a wagon, and filled up with sweet potatoes
and chestnuts.

Amos went on afoot, and his masquerading
would have done credit to ' 'Old Sleuth" of dime
novel creation. He put on a pair of slick copperas
breeches, a hat that like the "Niobe of
nations," was "crownless and childless," the
same having been used as a "holder," in smooth-
ing iron and parlance. For two years it had been
used to lift hot things around the distillery. His
shoes were red stogas and his suspenders were
leather. Above Rutherfordton he overtook two
others who were likewise making a pilgrimage to
Asheville on the same errand. Our hero tried to
stimulate the appearance of an inspired idiot,
while his companions tried to masquerade as high-
rollers. They looked with scorn on the vile-look-
ing walking delegate, and seemed ashamed of his

A History of Amos Owens' Life. 19

company. When tliey arrived, all hands were
placed on trial, and Amos employed a lawyer for
all three. When the hat circulated the two
haughty high-rollers had depleted exchequers,
but Amos had a very plethoric roll. When the
dudish blockaders saw this, they imagined him a
capitalist in disguise, and treated him with mark-
ed consideration. All were acquitted and Amos
went out to sell his load of "taters" that had just
arrived. It was soon evident that ' 'taters" were
in great demand, all the bar-rooms, hotels, and
many private families, being "just out."

Amos went home in his wagon, having sold 20
bushels and 40 gallons of "taters," and Cherry
Mountain was again a place where the still-worm
dieth no(; and the fire is not quenched.

CHAPTER V.

In a few months he had another visitation of
red-legged grasshoppers. This time he was ar-
raigned before 'Squire Wilson of Rutherfordton.
The witnesses against him were the Rev. George
Deck of color, Cooney Honeycutt, and Col.'.
Whangdoodle Tessiner, known generally by the
euphonious cognomen of "Rosineer," (roasting
ear.)

The Reverend Deck was a maker and retailer
of wild cat whiskey, and, in his own language,
had heard a very audible and peremptory call to
work in "de Laud's tanyard." Like most of his
race, he was an artist on the barjoseph; and wore
a very ancient "derby" and a James Swinger coat
of obselete pattern. In the spring and winter he
distilled whiskey, and when the sultry dog days
drew nigh apace, he blossomed out as an evange-
list and called sinners to repentance. His . favor-
ite text was: "It is easier for a needle to go
through the eye of a camel than for a rich man to
sae the Kingdom of Gaud. " His hearers were

20 A History of Amos Owens' Life.

invariably negroes who daily wrestled with the
problem as to how buckle and tongue could be
made to meet, but he addressed them as though
all were capitalists, and painted in lurid colors
the final woe of the bloated-bond-holder. He al-
ways took up a collection, and left them as pen-
niless as though he was a professor of "thimble-
rig."

On one occasion he had an appointment for
himself to preach, and a confederate to sell some
of his wild-cat whiskey at the same appointment.
At the evening service many of his auditors came
in with very suspicious bottles of the mother-
hubbard variety sticking out their pockets.

The Rev. Deck looked at them in solemn
gravity and expatiated thusly; "De gates of he-
ben am berry narer men ail' bredren, an' you'll
do well to squeeze f rough your self; let alone a
great bottle swingin to Ye, Come right on an' let
us offer dem as a sacrifice to the Laud. " When
the time came for the night service, it is related
that Bro. Deck was too drunk to brush a horse-
fly from the end of his nose.

Mr. Honeycutt was conversant with the whip-
ping post, having been there interviewd for let-
ting a hog follow him home and putting the same
in a pork-barrel, also, for looting his grandma's
spee's, and for taking a ' 'pea-fowl" fly-brush at
Christmas time. He, however, interpolated every
expression with: "(rod knows I'm an honest man,"

Col. Whangdoodle Tessineer was noted for be-
ing rather absent-minded. When hogs ran out in
the range, nearly all owners had ear-marks.
His ear mark was "two smoothcrops. " That
obliterated all other marks, and he frequently
practiced this in moments of absent-minded-
ness.

Amos knew the layout and defended his own
case. The roars of laughter he evoked caused the

A History of Amos Owens' Life. 21

whole thing to develop into a roaring farce, and
he was acquitted.

Ever after this episode Tessiner has been called
"Shacknorty, " and Honeycutt, "(ji-reasy Jim."
Both have since left these regions, and Deck is al-
ternately preaching and stilling.

CHAPTER VI.

We now approach a time momentous in the his-
tory of North Carolina, and eventful in the career
of Amos Owens. So far he had outwitted the
red-legged grasshopper except in two instances,
and his court experience was bat amusement.
When the war closed and the Southern Slave be-
came a citizen and later, was, in the language of
Bill Nye, "clothed with the divine right of suf-
frage," discordant elements clashed. However
patriotic may have been the motives of the federal
administration, the work of "re-constraction" was
as the sowing of dragon's teeth.

The leading white people of the South were in-
dignant at seeing their former slaves their politi-
cal equals, and a season of rapine, blood-shed and
anarchy ensued.

The negroes, intoxicated with the boon of tree-
dom, and instigated by unscrupulous politicians,
became insolent. While no people in their condi-
tion had ever been so loyal to the women and
children while the men of the South were battling
to forge their fefcters, a feeling of unrest and dis-
trust had now settled on both races. By some
strange frenzy or hallucination, many of the freed
slaves that were styled by General Butler, "con-
traband of war," were arrayed against the kind
old master and his family, whom, during the
struggle ' when the negro's destiny hung in the
b 0 ce, they would have died to maintain and
protbct.

22 A HiSTOEY OF Amos Owens' Life.

C n the side of the administration were organ-
ized Union Leagues, and, with many of the ne-
groes, liberty degenerated into license.

The southern soldier had accepted the fortunes
of war in the generous terms of surrender at Ap-
pomattox, and while he went to a desolated home,
and fields that grim war had ravaged he felt that
he could again take up the burden of life. But
when he saw the slave of yesterday the intolerant
master of to-day, it was too much for the proud
Cavalier. JSfo, doubt, both sides made mistakes,
but certain it is that, in retaliation, was organ-
ized the "Kuklux Klan, " The intention of this
was to put in subjection the negroes, and to hold
their unscrupulous white leaders in abeyance.

By subjection is not of course, meant to again
impose the shackles of slavery, but to bridle their
domineering and lustful spirit. The Kuklux were
a secret and oath bound organization, that rode
a.bout at night in grotesque disguise. This struck
terror to the hearts of the superstitious negroes,
for their ghostly array and the phantom like tread
of their muffled horses made the negro believe
they were the ghostly avengers of the south from
the battle-fields of the southern slain. While no
mob violence is to be commended, their visitations
were said, at first, to have a salutary effect. The
organization was at first controlled by men of
coolness and discretion, who would tolerate no ex-
cesses. But a lawless and vicious element crept
in, who had personal scores to settle

Many offenders were whipped, some banished,
and others even slain. Early in the action, Amos
Owens became a member, and his energy, persis-
tence and courage, made him a leading spirit.

In the first place he had no love for a govern-
ment that would allow a red-legged grass-hopper
prey upon him, and in the next he didn't like to
see "Cuffey" in the saddle. It is said that every

A History of Amos Owens' Life.

white ' 'red string" that felt the rod of the avenger
could see the fine Italian hand of this muscular
Kuklux, and every negro that felt the stinging
lark thought if it were not some phantom cavalier
from Gettysburg it must be Amos.

At length James Justice, a Republican editor,
of Rutherfordton, was seized, treated with indig-
nity and his press and fixtures destroyed.

On the same night, Aaron Biggerstaff a noted
and very unpopular "red-string," as the republi-
cans were called, was given a very severe castiga-
tion. Soldiers and deputy marshalls were sent to
the scene of disturbance, and soon the counties of
Cleveland and Rutherford swarmed with men
whose mission was to uphold the majesty of the
law. On information of Aaron Biggerstaff war-
rants were sworn out against Amos as a partici-
pant in the whipping of himself, and as a perpe-
trator in the destruction of the printing office and
the rough treatment of Editor Justice. Many fled
the State, some turned State's evidence, but Amos
Owens, Plato Durham, Randolph Shotwell, Adol-
phus DePriest, etc. , stood their ground like stern
old Romans.

Five soldiers and three marshalls came for
Amos, and found him making malt. He went to
Rutherf ordton jail where he was incarcerated two
weeks. Before he had been there three days his
trusty potato peddler was on hand, and Amos
was enabled, by the kindness of his captors, to
sell 20 more bushels and 40 gallons of "taters."

He got a change of venue to Marion, N. C, and
in two days his bewhiskered confederate was on
deck with more "taters." Like Rutherf ordton,
the market was unusually active that day, and
with the alleged eagle-eyed marshalls at his heels,
he sold out ' '20 bushels and 40 gallons. "

He and the others were taken thence to the
capital City, Raleigh, and there they were ^r-

24 A HiSTOEY OF Amos Owens' Life.

raigned before Judge Baird. Many turned State's
evidence here, or ' 'puked" as it was called by the
the ones who stood the ordeal. Every overture
was made to induce Amos Owens, Randolph Shot-
well, Adolphus DePriest and Plato Durham to
betray their comrades, but all such propositions
were met with indignant scorn. When the evi-
dence was taken the sentence was, ' 'six years in
Sing Sing at hard labor, and a fine of $5500 each. "
Adolphus DePriest was turned out to die before
his sentence expired and died in a few weeks af-
ter reaching home. Randolph Shotwell served
part of his sentence and died soon after, but is
venerated as a true and great man, and the mem-
ory of Adolphus DePriest is also venerated. Plato
Durham was released, and threw his whole pow-
erful influence into the scale for his unfortunate
comrades. He went to Washington City and had
an interview with the president. By his courage,
zeal and eloquence, he caused the sphinx-like hero
of Appomattox to sign the order for the release of
Amos Owens. .

CHAPTER VII.

At the end of two years Amos was again on
the soil of Cherry Mountain, and felt like Mr.
Greggoi" on his native heath. But again had the
red-legged grasshopper become a burden. In his
absence the festive grass-hoppers had carried away
three horses, three wagons, several cows, his bu-
reau, beds, and even his grindstone. Three
strong petitions had been sent up for his pardon,
but the "grass-hoppers" whom Amos hated as
veritable locusts from the bottomless pit, had sent
counter petitions which said, ' 'Nay, verily, for he
is a pestilent fellow and mover of sedition." The
scene of desolation he met at home would hav^
crushed a spirit less bold, but Amos was cast in
heroic mold. He got his trusty gun and hunted

A HisTOEY OF Amos Owens' Life. 25

his plunder. For this he was placed in durance
vile in Rutherford jail and there languished un-
til court, when the judge ordered his release. One
incident worthy to relate, perhaps, is the recov-
ery of his bureau. It was at "Aunt" Polly
Price's. He went for it and she said it was left
there by '-grass hopper" and that she was glad to
restore it.

She being 99 years of age, then informed him
she would soon attain 100 years. On that occa-
sion, if Amos would send over a few "taters," she
would set a big dinner and they would dance the
"highland fling." Amos said nothing would
please him better, but he had promised shoe shop
"No. 1" at Sing Sing he'd soon be back, and he
never liked to disappoint them.

He saved what he could out of the wreck and
soon his bounce and other products of his labra-
tory were on the market and his coffers were full
of filthy lucre.

CHAPTER VIII.

But a Nemisis was on his trail, and the villain
still pursued him. Like the ghost of Banquo, the
revenue oflicers would not "avaunt," but like the
unbidden ghost at the feast the red-legged grass-
hopper was ever present. He was sent to Sing
Sing for kuklux outrages in 1872, and in 1876
while performing his sorrowful vigil at the bed
side of a dying neighbor, he felt the grasp of
personified law. He was in the toils of the
"locusts," and was the same night remanded to
Rutherford jail. Later, he appeared for trial be-
fore Judge Dick, at the revenue court of Asheville,
N. C. Judge Dick heard the evidence, and be-
fore passing sentence said : ' 'Amos Owens stand
up. Once before you have trodden the winepress
as a Sing Sing convict, and you have stiffened

26 A History of Amos Owens' Life.

your neck and liardened your heart again,
against the majesty of the law you have made
whiskey and sold the same. Why will you per-
sist in your lawless course? Look at me, I am
sixty years of age, was never drunk, and have
never incurred the woe pronounced against him
that putteth tli3 bottle tohis neighbor's lips. What
have you to say, why the sentence of the law
should not be pronounced upon you?"

Amos cocked one eye, cleared his throat and
with mock solemnity, said: "Well, Judge, yon
have missed a durned lot of fun if you haint
never made, drunk nor sold no licker. As to
what I have to say about being sentenced — Judge,
do you know what the Governor of North Caro-
lina said to the Governor of South Carolina?
"Them's my sentiments."

"One year in Sing Sing and twelve hundred
dollars fine, " roared the irate Judge. Amos was
promptly taken to this bastile of Uncle Sam, and
it is said the officials of that institution of learn-
ing had a torch-light procession in his honor:
Amos entered -with glee into the festivities; and
approached the gate between two ' 'red-legged
grass-hoppers," singing: "Hold the fort for t am
coming." The wardens said: "Kill the fatted
prodigal for the calf lias got back."

All the Sing Sing contingent hailed liis appear-
ance with great joy.

The warden continued; "My unconverted
friend, Amos, though long absent, has returned
to his first love. As the ox knoweth his master's
crib, so doth Amos come to the high tower and
rock of refuge for the transgressor. Let the band
play: "Jordan is a hard road to travel. "

The superintendent also extended the follow-
ing royal welcome: "My unconverted friend, this
is neither a pleasant nor disagreeable surprise.
In fact, it is no surprise at all, for we were expect-

A History of Amos Owens' Life. 27

ing you, and you are welcome to do business at
the old stand. We never shake an old friend or
an honored acquaintance, and our motto is as
ever: "While the lamp holds out to burn. The
vilest sinner may return." Bring hither the razor
and the shears, and let us put a new striped robe
on him. One Year, Amos, for rest and refresh-
ments."

Amos rose to the emergency, gave the military
salute, and replied in kind: "Colonel, this is a
case of the place seeking the man, and not the
man seeking the place. Bat vdieh- I dance I pay
the fiddler, and never shirk when the hat cOmes
round. When my country needed my services
her call was as the voice of God, and I did all in
my power to beat back the nothern invader,

When the ruthless carpet bagger preyed like a
cormorant on the substance of the South, I joined
the Invisible Empire, and whenCuify commenced
that foolishness about the "bottom rail being on
top," I helped revive the old song; "Run! nigger,
run! patroller catch you." When my grateful
constituents became so dry they spit bales of cot-
ton I tried with my "labratory" to fill a long-felt
want and fill it to overflowing.

At the end of ten months he was informed that
he could again breathe the pure air of heaven,
and that other place — Cherry Mountain, if he'd
pay up a little matter of $1200 fine and $75 cost.
Amos solemnly winked the other eye, and confin-
ed himself to the hammer and last. At the end
of thirty days he was discharged. Bidding the
whole push a hasty good bye, he telegraphed to
have malt prepared to make a "run." Always a
shrewd financier, he felt that a matter of $1275
for 30 days labor was a pretty fair dividend on
the original investment. The malt was prepared,
the people sounded aloud the great hew-gag and
beat the loud tom-tom. The practiced eyes of

2« A History of Amos Owens' Life.

Amos were fastened on the charcoal receptacle.
and when the first fiery shots commenced ' 'bead-
ing at the worm," he made hill and valley echo
with the glad refrain: "Come thou fount of
every blessing."

His motto was still; "millions for defence but
not a cent for revenues. "

CHAPTER IX.

When the next spring had spread her vernal
mantle over the earth, he, as ever, had a, generous
supply of copper— distilled, hand-made, standard-
proof goods, and the bibulous saw it and were
glad. He had made great improvements in his
summer resort, and at his castle summer was to
last twelve months in the year. While the leaves
of his Cherry trees were not recommended for
the healing of the nations, his bounce had a
reputation rivaling the celebrated "bourbon" of
Kentucky. Cherry Mountain was truly celebrated
in song and story. Twice had his stills been <le-
stroyed, but he reported as ever with a flourish of
trumpets and a new out-fit.

From every town of size and importance in the
Old North State came votaries to do homage at
the shrine of gay Bacchus, and from the Lone
Star State, the Palmetto State, from the red hills
of Georgia and the f estooned-forests of Alabama,
came the festive cow-boy, the unadulterated
"Goobergrabber, " the wild and woolly "Yaller-
hammer," together with the imperious "Sand-lap-
per" and the brawny "man-behind the gun,"
from Old Kentuck. In the June revelries, the
guests sportively pelted each other with Irish pota-
toes at meal time, and sometimes plates, dishes,
axe handles, ox-yokes and bed-posts were used to
convince the on-looker in Venice that Southern
hospitality was not stinted.

One contingent would be dancing furiously to

A -'iisTORY OF Amos Owens' Life. 29

the sound of fiddle and barjosepli others trying
to eat and the battle royal in progress had caused
all the dis les to he smashed over the heads of
opposing f ictions. Still another group of merry
makers wc uld be engaged in pistol target prac-
tice at eac i other, and another squad up the trees
picliing ch srries, and get winged by a stray ball.

Amos w IS a host of remarkable versatility. If
a man wai ited to eat, a bountiful table was al-
ways prep, ired; if he wanted to fight, all he had
to do was bo go out a few steps and enter the
ring. If anybody got ' 'past varigation" he was
piL^d into bhe cellar. One man was killed out-
right here and others have been probed, dismem-
bered, maimed and their faces made to resemble
an animated war-map.

One man of Gastonia thus giveth his experience
at this noted resort. This was his first visit, and
he was nob conversant with cherry-bounce and
its effects on the human system or society. He
was noted for deep piety, and had never felt
the p£-ngs of the worm of the still ' 'outvenomous
all the wo -ms of the Mle." He asked a man of
veiy benij n visage would bounce cause intoxica-
tion. Th( old pilgrim skinned his eye-balls de-
voutly hesven- ward, and said: "Oh no, son, the
pangs of c lerry bounce are not venomous. " Like
the blesse( L dew from heaven it blesses him that
gives and lim that takes. " The unsophisticated
youth of a pious turn of mind quaffed sundry
glasses. ''. 'he next thing he remembers, he was
offering a standing salary for some one to step on
the smokii tg tails of his coat.

A wooly necked walking delegate from Taylors-
ville, N. C. told him he was there or thereabout.
The modt 1 young man cast his eyes about him
and saw, i i close proximity, a magnificent ruin in
the way oj horseflesh. On this ancient ruin was
an old saddle with iron stirrups. The pious youth

30 A HisTOEY OF Amos Oweists' Life.

from Gastonia cut the stirrup leather off near the
saddle and had a fine sling-shot. He smote the
offending gentleman from Taylorsville and has
not seen or heard of him since. He rather thinks
the man died.

CHAPTER X.

In the days of so-called chivalry, there were
trials of skill among the knighthood, in which the
tournament contest was a principal feature.

Knights fought on horse-back armed with lances
animated by the victors privilege of crowning the
queen of love and beauty. The scenes at Cherry
Mountain were dashed with a flavor of this spirit,
and contests and rivalries of every description
were adjusted at this place during the cherry sea
son, under the martial inspiration of bounce. Did
a man suffer the pangs of unprized love? Here
he could meet hi& successful rival, and the blended
ceremonies of the gladiatorial ring, the tourna-
ment, and the code of the antebellum Kentucky
corn shucking were at his service. Sometimes it
was an encounter between two agile and muscular
giants who gloried in their skill with their dukes.
In these contests they stripped to the waist enter-
ed the ring, and each principal was backed by a
second.

No regard was had for recognized ring rules un-
der which prize fighters strive for supremacy, but
either participant was allowed to strike above or
below the belt, and no restrictions or limitations
were provided against biting, gouging, or stamp-
ing an adversary. Sometimes in the language of
James Owens the cousin of Amos, ' 'pieces of noses,
fingers, toes and ears, fairly 'kivered' the earth. "
A difficulty of this kind generally resulted in a
free fight, in which perhaps fifty would partici-
pate.

While a law has been for a long time on our

A HisTOEY OF Amos Owens' Life. 31

statute bot)ks against duelling, many affairs of
this kind Iiave resulted at this rendezvous.

In perhaps a dozen cases, men have been placed
at twenty paces, fired at the word of command,
and shot to kill. The fact that many of them
were in the condition of having a ' 'wabble in the
gait and an uncertain look in the eye," cheap pis-
tols and bad markmanshipj is all that has pre-
vented fatil ending.

As it is iiany have been slightly wounded in
these affairs of honor, and as before stated, in the
free fights where pistols, guns, knives and brick-
bats were as plentiful as^ ' 'razors in the air" at a
colored church festival, many were injured. An-
other diversion was gander pulling. This relief
of barbari :5m has been absolute for probably fifty
years everf where else, but at Cherry Mountain it
made its last stand. A gander would be caught,
his legs tii)d together, and tied to a horizontal
bar. He would be left swinging eight feet from
the ground, and his neck and head greased.

Every participant in this diversion would be
mounted, md was to ride at full speed by the gan-
der and tr y to pull off his head. The greased
neck mad( ) this difficult, as the gander, realizing
that self presenation is the first law of nature,
would doc ge, and the scene would become revolt-
ing.

The mounts would be grostesque in the extreme.
Horses wi1h one eye, horses in the last stage of
pov-erty ar d enfeebled age, blind horses, mules of
every age, color and previous condition of ser-
vitude, and actually oxen, bore these modern
knights in this peculiar and revolting tourna-
ment. To those who never saw an ox under the
saddle, it nay be incredible that he can be made
to gallop, )ut a mountaineer with two spurs can
dispel thai illusion. To see old Burt Franklin on
his muley ox, barefooted and wearing two spurs.

32 A History of Amos Owens' Life.

no one would think the bovine either slow or pat-
ient. Burt was the champion "gander-puller,"
and was, withal, a character of peculiar interest.
He had served he said, in the Indian war under
the stern old Hickory Jackson, was in the Mexi-
can war under General Scott, and later, served as a
volunteer under the stormy cross of Lee and Jack-
son in the Southern Confederacy. He never ac-
cumulated any property, and never seemed to
want anything better than to be at every festivity
of Cherry Mountain.

He had the strength of a giant, could walk six-
ty miles a day, and ride like a Centaur.

He is still living at the age of 98, and
when the cry came up from the stricken
Pearl of the Antilles, he rode his ox twenty miles
to a recruiting station with his "old enfield" on
his shoulder, togething with the ancient cartridge
box that was bullet pierced in the days of '61 to
'65, and wanted to "remember the Maine." The
recruiting officer laughed and. told him to go
home, prepare to meet his God, and send some of
his grand children.

He straightened his tall form, flashed his eye,
and swore he could out-run, out-jump, out-side,
out-march and out shoot his own or any body
else's grand- children. He tried several other
times to enlist, and will die mad, if he ever dies
at all, because he was not allowed to help subdue
the haughty Dons.

Another popular diversion of this celebrated
resort, is chicken fighting. No man is allowed to
put a goff on his champion, but the encounters
are slugging matches pure and simple.

Dog fighting is also popular, for the canine is
more venerated in this region than the sacred
white elephant in Indian Tor the crocodile in
Egypt. In Kentucky they talk horse and here
they talk dog. The exercises, during the June

A HisTOEY OF Amos Owens' Life. 33

carnival sf^ason, reminds one of a modern ' 'mid-
way plaisance." At one place "a break-down" is
in progress, when the dancing to the music of fid-
dle and be.njo is fast and furious, while others
will be ou: riding a "flying Jennie." At another
place a chicken dispute is in progress, in which a
gigantic diing-hill is trying conclusions with a
Georgia "shawlneck." Other groups are telling
the old story, sighing like a furnace, alternately
coquetting; and exchanging vows of eternal con-
stancy.

Anothei contingent, headed by old Burt Frank-
lin, who are lustily cheering the gander pulling
tournament.

In another quarter a free fight is in progress,
and a scene is being enacted that would relegate
hitherto cj assic and celebrated Dony brook to eter-
nal obscurity. Still another squad are having a
passage at arms between a ' 'bench legged fice"
and a margy hound of uncertain age.

CHAPTER XL

The pist )1 duel at word of command is not of
frequent cscurrence, but one was pulled off five
yeji^rs sine* ; between two gentlemen of color that
wa? charai teristic. One coon by the name of
"J;ick Badness," and another known as J. Dudley
Bomar hacL an ancient grudge which was all on
account ol Eliza. Her name was Eliza Bigger-
staff and s he was a decided brunette. She had
losv an eyt and was aged 47. The eye loss was
the result of a contest with her former husband
who had g 3ne from rest to refreshment, but before
his depart ire had stabbed her in the eye with a
scribe awl. for he was a shoe maker.

While h 3 lived they both nearly starved but
when he shuffled off some six feet of mortal
coil, she b: 5came a colored capitalist. As a cook
she was in demand, and rumor said she had over

34 A HisTOKY OF AMofe Owens' JUtfe/,

140 to her credit. Here was an opportuiiaty ■ to
capture aii heiress, and while Jack Badness was
23, and J. D. Bomar 25 years of age, that matter
of $40 covered a .multitude of defects, one-eyed
and otherwise, and removed any disparity in
years. Both would call every evening at the
hours in which "little Annie Rooney" received
visits, and would eat a hearty meal at the ex-
pense ;of their insomoratta. They would- then
scowl at; each other and strap their razors.

At length their aggrieved "honor" could no
longer tolerate such a state of affairs, and J. Dud-
ley Bomar sent by his friend and second, the ReY;
Geo. Washington Deck, the following challenge:
"To the lazy, pokey, lowzy, good fox iiuthin nigger
what is called Jack Badness, who is always loofin
round whar heihaint wanted. A

Ef ;you haintskeered to deth, you, can meet me
at (ShQrry Mounting day after to-morrow.

Bring your gun, for I is goin to shoot you so
full of holes that ef all de places is filled with
wooden pins you'd make a good hat rack.
Yours to' kill, '

J. Dudley Bomar."
■:; Jack Badness, after^ a very labored composition,
evolved ithe following, and sent it back by his
trusted friend and second, "Spotted Buck
Sweezy:" ■■■ :' ■ , . .., . ,■

' 'To de lyin, loofin, thevin son of a gun what
stole de money off en a dead man's eyes, and am a
coward an blow hard, allow me to say dot you
axed me to beat Cherry Mounting if I aint skeered.

Never you mine, I'll be dar. T^lk about gun-
nin.;Iis gwine to fillyou so full of lead dat youll
out- weigh old Burt Franklin's big roan steer.
Don't you fret, 111 be dar.

Yours on de shoot.

Jack Badness."

Day after to-morrow came around and J. Dud-

A HisTOEY OF Amos Owens' Life. 35

ley Bomar and Ms staff came near beating "day
after to-morrow" under the string. His first ques-
tion was, ' ' whar is dat flat-nosed kidney^f ooted
niggah?" tlethen drew a British bull dog, Calibre
38, and seemed eager for the fray.

In about an hour Jack Badness, with his friend
Spotted Buck Sweezy, came leisurely up the
mountain. The news had sprea d, and people were
there from Rutherfordton, Shelby, Marion, Mor-
ganton and Forest City to witness the encounter.

The vaunting Bomar began to show signs of
agitation as Col. Jack Badness pulled an eight-
inch "cap-and-ball" six-shooter.

The distance, twenty paces, ^ was measured and
the principals told to take their positions. Henry
Houser, of Grassy Branch, was to giye the
word c'ommand, and stepping forward, said:
"Grentlemen, are you ready?" 'T is," came the
defiant answer of Jack Badness, but Bomar
gasped, and the words he tried to .utter seemed
to die away in the i^afters <of his mouth. . His
kne^ wer(3! knocking and ; his -teeth chattering,
whife his face took on the blue gray hue, that
?al ways betrays agitation in the negro.
^ Henry . Houser continued : ' 'Attention ! .At
the <woi:d c;ne, raise your pistols. At the word
two, takejiim." At 'the word three, fire." J. Dud-^
ley Bomar was 'sb;agitated that all he knew was,:
he heard t lie woxd fire. sHe pressed the trigger of
his pistol: fuhd a roarshowed he had commenced
the fray. ' But i his ball : missed his adversary at
least twen :y five feet, and went into an upper
story of the famous castle Owens; knocking the
tail fieathers olltof an eight day clock. Biscre-
tion then ^:ot the better part of valor, and hie fled
incontinently.: Then Badness started in swift
pursuit, firing his eight inch navy. at every jump.
Several pin e boughs if ell around the fleeing Bo-
mar, but to this day no onekno'Ws the extent' of

36 A History of Amos Owens' Life.

his injuries. He never came back, and two weeks
later Jack Badness had captured the widow with
$40, and now has an oyster, sardine and cider
saloon on historic Cherry Mountain. His wife
still has one eye, and still cooks and takes in
washing. But she and that $40 have parted com-
pany.

CHAPTER XII.

Though this historic place is in twelve miles of
Rutherfordton twenty-five miles of Shelby, both
good law abiding towns, by common consent this
has, until very recently, been no man's land as
far as the enforcement of law is concerned. Amos
Owens has repeatedly heard the ornate charges
of the judge to the jury and grand jury where the
resonant language of his honor would recite:
"The majesty of the law stands on eternal vigil
at the threshold of every home, and the dweller
in the lowly hovel as well as the palace comes
alike under her beneficent protection." Amos
knew, as far as his own expenience was concern-
ed, that he could be maltreated, his property de-
stroyed, and no legel redress for him in his rights
of person or property. On the other hand, until
very recently, whoever went there to engage in
the festivities took his life in his hand, and had
to be quick-triggered to command respect.

Boys and girls have performed acts of vandal-
ism at this place, that would have disgraced the
wild orgies of a negro festival, and nobody pur-
nighed.

Such treatment has done much to determine
his hitherto lawless character. While tliis writer
is not upholding the whiskey traffic or manufac-
ture, legal or otherwise, it seems that Amos has,
in many instances, been a peculiar object of per-
secution by the red-legged grass-hopper.

While he has defiantly and persistently violated

A History of Amos Owens' Life. 37

the revenue laws, in the hackneyed language of
the present ' 'there are others. "

Many persons by an unfortunate combination of
circumstar.ces, become outlaws^ that no amount
of prevemion and coercion can reclaim, and
Amos is a man of this character.

We left him on his second return from Sing
Sing, defiant and impenitent. The tall spectral
pines stood on eternal vigil near the defile where
his distillery was in operation, the flickering
lights of his furnace were shed on the eternal
rock-ribbed heights of his famous mountain, and
his work pursued the noiseless tenor of its way.
We can but think, that at times, when "far from
the maddening crowd's ignoble strife, with none to
see his ' 'deeds of darkness" but God and the rad-
iant stars E'.bove, his bitter nature would assert
itself and a voiceless cry would go out from his
heart in the silent watches of the night; but if so,
he suffered and gave no sign. The minister would
rise in his pulpit, wax eloquent in the recital of
the sins of Amos Owens against God and against
society, bii fc did one ever go and administer tv^ords
of ])rother]y reproof? The staid church member
would invt igh against the evils of intemperance,
and then h ave some vagabond to go and see if
"Old Amoi Owens" would not send him two gal-
lons to tak 3 the bad taste out of his mouth. The
young mai, who parted his hair in the middle
and taughi a class in Sunday School, Would go
up in cher] y time, get drunk as the Pied Piper of
Hamelin, 1 >reak dishes, knock-down doors^ smash
windows, i urn over the milk and swear like a
seaman; ar d then say it was all the fault of old
Amos Owe as: The adoring uncles, cousins, aunts
and parents would say it was even so, smd pray
the good LDrd to bless the labors of the red-legged
grass-hopper. Then would it occur to this hunt-
ed areh-bl3ckader that "man's inhumanity to

38 A History of Amos Owens' hiFm

man makes countless millions mourn."

Soon the avenger was again on his track, for as
he rode through the state of ' 'Pitchfork Ben Till-
man," he was held up near Gaffney, and his fine
horse, new wagon, and a barrel of contraband,
confiscated. He was placed behind the bars of
the Columbia jail, and was later tried and sen-
tenced to a term of six month's imprisonment and
a fine of one hundred dollars imposed. Being
allowed to name his prison he chose Yorkville,
South Carolina. Here an incident occurred that
showed his courage, sense of gratitude, and devo-
tion to friends. Men of deep-seated convictions
and great firmness are almost invariably bitter
enemies and ardent friends.

Sheriff Grienn of York county was a man of hu-
mane and generous impulses, and by his kindness
won the undying friendship of Amos. Qn ope
occasion three desperate negroes resolved in malt-
ing a break for liberty. Jumping on the Sheriff
while alone, they would have soon taken his life,
for the brutal instinct of a savage shows no mercy
to a fallen foe. Amos and a man from Catawba
county, of this state, came to the relief of the
brave oflicer, and the blows of our stalwart hero
went with the force of a catapult. One giant fell
at his first blow, and his comrade and the ex-
hausted sheriff entertained the other who was
also an Ethiopian Hercules. The daring leader
of the three was yet on foot, and with his firm
visage, broad shoulders, and corded muscles, de-
velop zd in a turpentine orchard "pulling boxes,"
was not to be despised. Towering six ieet two,
and weighing 205, he felt that he could use up all
opposition. He let out a terrific right at our hero
which was nimbly dodged. Then with a left that
would have won the admiration of Col. John L.
Sullivan, Amos dropped the colored son of Anak
senseless to the floor. The sheriff had now recov-

A History of Amos Owens' Life. 39

ered, and ^vith the li sip of the man from Catawba,
the other two were secured. The Sheriff was too
generous to let such conduct on the part of our
hero and his confederate go unrewarded. Except
nominally, they were free men, and carried the
■prison keyM. Amos was the Joseph of the prison,
but unlike the Joseph of inspiration, he was not
an interpreter of dreams.

Certain it is however, that ever after during his
incarcerati Dii, he had a whiff every morning of
the medical preparation known as peach and
honey, anc on the morning after their heroic ad-
venture, h 3 and his campanion were the recipient
of a pound cake, which, to use his own quaint ex-
preysion, was "bigger'n a bosses head." At the
end of five months he was released, and one hun-
dred dollars extra were paid into his hand. To
this day h( ■. i^ touched by this act of benevolence,
and the hi.mane treatment accorded him here is
like the sjiadow of a great reck in a weary land
in his vari(3d and melancholly experience.

He further gives an amusing experience with
bee J, durii.g this period of incarceration.

All mouitain men have bees, and are expert in
their management. On^ day Amos heard the
:wai'ning wliirr, and notified the sheriff's wife.
She sent fcr that official., but he was busy in the
office, and sent word to let Amos Owens hive the
bees.

The bees had on full war-paint and charged a
passing mi lister, and tasted the lovely complexion
of the beai.tif ul belle of the ball who was also
passing. Her shrieks brought out a policeman
with blue coat and button, but they respected not
his badge ctf office. A "sissy" looking dude was
•riding by en a thorough bred, and the the bees
fired at thi^ horse and rider hj file and then by
volley. T]ie dude being unhorsed, lifted up his
voice and said he WA^ stabbed, but the bees heed-

40 A HisTOKY OF Amos Owens' LifbI

ed not his signal of distress. Then Amos advan-
ced, and to use his expression, "the pickets fired
and run in." Like Grant, he moved immediately
on their works, and demanded unconditional sur-
render. They charged him but what cared he for
a few upstart Italian bees, when he had never
been vanguished by Uncle Sam, and his legions
of red-legged grass-hoppers?

The bees rose and took to flight, but he camped
on their trail. They settled in a big oak 30 feet
from the ground, but he built a high scaffold. He
hived ever mother's son of them, brought them
back, a distance of 400 yards, and deposited the
hive in the colony, singing, in the meantime;
"God Save the Queen."

CHAPTER XIII.

On his discharge he went home, and as his still
was destroyed, he bought another outfit. The or-
der was, on with the dance, and for three years
the work boomed serenely on, with no revenue in-
terference to molest or to make afraid. Besides
his calling as maker and dispenser of bounces he
resolved to build a kind of tower, or observatory,
Reference has before been made to the glorious
view from this eminence, and our hero set himself
to work to build this towering edifice which was
to be several stories in height, and to be provided
with up-to-date opera glasses, field glasses and a
powerful telescope for the use of tourists and sci-
entific men. Like the sweet singer of captive Is-
rael he prepared his material and like the sweet
singer he was not allowed to build.

It is here worthy of mention, that in the com-
plex character of our hero, there is a strange con-
tradiction of terms. While a difiant blockader
that no amount of punishment could chasten and
subdue, he yet shows some of the generous attri-
butes of a great nature. In his heroic defense of

A HisTOEY OF Amos Owens' Life. 41

Sheriff Glenn at Yorkville jail, while he escaped
unscathed, he boldly imperiled his life and limb,
showing the almost divine character portrayed in
Revelation: "Greater love hath no man than this
that a man shonld lay down his life for his
friend. "

Now we see him, an unlettered man who does
not know the lost pleaides from Col. Henry Wat-
terson's "Star-eyed goddess of Reform, " preparing
a temple in the wilderness for the patronage of
science, a nd for the comfort and convenience of
the people that have calumniated and betrayed
him; erecting a place of rest and enjoyment, plac-
ing the enchanting grandsur of ' 'The Land of the
Sky" in the range of every one's vision who will
sweep the grand panorama with these auxiliaries
of science.

We are reminded of the saying of Jesus of Naz-
areth that sinners and publicans shall enter the
kingdom of the Lord before the self-righteous
Pharisee, and of the sweet but sad couplet from
the "Quaker Poet":

' 'In the hereafter, angels may

Roll the stone from its grave away. "

CHAPTER XIV.

Again he had an invasion from the cohorts of
the red-legged grass hopper, and was taken to
Asheville to again sit on the mourner's bench be-
fore Judge Dick. It is here worthy of remark,
thai3 with all his fierce hatred of the revenue offi-
cers, he never resisted arrest. He therefore was as
usual like a sheep before its shearers, but had his
teamster to load up with "taters," Asheville was
still a great market for taters, and the deal re-
sulted in a sale of "20 bushels and 40 gallons."
His still was again destroyed but everything was
not found. Again did Judge Dick impose a term
of twelve months imprisoment, a fine of one hun-

43 A History of Amos Owens' Life.

dred dollars and a scathing- rebuke. Again did
Amos gaze at the whole judiciary with mingled
scorn and defiance, and gleefully hop ' 'onto" the
black moriah that conveyed him to the bastile,
preparatory to going for a third visit to Sing Sing.
The officials of that famed institution of learning
tendered the glad hand, and joy was uiiconfined.
As the conductor announced the station, our hero
cackled with ungodly glee and yelled out: "One
year for rest and refreshments." The superin-
tendent said: Amos, I knew you would not disap-
point us. Others have said that the memory of
the venerable delegate from North Carolina
would henceforth be: "Like the touch of a hand
that is vanished, And a voice that forever is
stilled," but I said, "You don't know Amos."

The old offender with anger in his eye and re-
proach in his tones, said: "What have I ever done
to cause any one to doubt my loyalty to this insti-
tution? Did I not graduate here, and did I not
tell you and your minions I was coming back to
take a post-graduate course? If I ever hear
another doubt expressed, I'll confer my patronage
on some other institution. This is not the only
"pen" in the world, and there are others that
would be glad to have m_e. " It will be observed
that Amos uses good language for an unlettered
man. No one to converse with him, would con-
sider that he is not a man of scholarship. He
served his dreary sentence, again getting off
thirty days for good behavior and paying his fine
of one hundred dollars by thirty days labor. So,
at the end of twelve months he bought a new
"still" and went, even as the dog feturneth to his
vomit, to his old vocation. In all he has had nine
distilling out-fits destroyed, and has served three
terms in the penitentiary. A reaction took place,
and for a time he had respite from his persecu-
tions. But the work went bravely on, and his

A HisTOEY OF Amos O weirs'' Life. 43

whiskey, brandy and bonnce was still a legal
tender in JSTorth Carolina.

CHAPTER XV.

About this time another Richmond appeared in
the field, and his scene of operations was near
classic Cherry Mountain. Alternately, he was a
maker of moonshine, and a red-legged grass-hop-
per. When a maker of contraband he was like a
bold buccaneer of the Spanish main, and he had
many bloody encounters. He was a Hercules in
strength and stature, and shot to kill. He led a
lawless life, and while a generous man to those he
liked, was a vindictive and uncompromising foe.
He kept up a trade between North and South
Carolina, and shot and maimed several parties in
personal encounters, and finally the state of South
Carolina became too hot to be comfortable. He
was imprisoned several times, but by the aid of
confederates, and fertility of resources, he always
managed to escape. Like Mark Twain's war ex-
perience, he "had fought bn both sides," and the
moonshiners never forgave him for being a red-
legged grass-hopper, and the marshals despised
.him^ for being a dealer in contraband whiskey.
The plot thickened, and he had so many personal
difiiculties that he resorted to deeds of violence
that caused a price to be placed on his head. He
armed himself, and in the defiles of Cherry Moun-
tain defied the conservators of law and order. His
reti ea;t was discovered, and a posse led by a vete-
ran red-legged grass-hopper, invaded his lair.
"Slipping up on him," in mountain parlance, the
pos^ie enjoined him to surrender. He turned at
bay, threw his rifle to his face, and whistled a
bullet through the hair of the man he most in-
tensely hated on earth — the reviled publican or
red-legged grass-hopper. His shot was answered
by a volley from the Winchesters, shot-guns and

44 A HiSTOKY OF Amos Owens' Life.

revolvers of his hunters. He fell bleeding from
half a dozen wounds, but with fierce oaths, tried
to again "pump lead" with his Winchester. He
was disarmed and carried to prison. His leg was
shattered at the thigh by a ball from a 44 Win-
chester, three pistol balls had struck him and two
charges of No. 4 shot were in his body. Every
one thought he would die, but, as usual, every
one was mistaken. He languished in jail till
court, when the Judge in compassion for his ter-
rible wounds, gave him the privilege of leaving
the state. He took the offer, and speedily absent-
ed himself from North Carolina society. With
all his faults he was a generous, hospitable fellow,
and a warm friend of the writer. His people still
live in the counties of Rutherford and Cleveland,
and are among the most honored citizens of both
counties.

CHAPTER XVI.

Before we give the final chapter in the life and
public serrices of Amos Owens, brief notice shall
be taken of an ex-blockader who has reformed
and shows symptoms of engaging in the minisitry.
He was a maker of whiskey, a salesman of the
same, and feared neither God nor regarded man.
To him the red-legged grass-hopper also became a
burden, and on more than one occasion he trod
the wine-press of tribulation, and ' 'played check-
ers with his nose upon the prison bars." At
length his own familiar friends became his ene-
mies, and he and his brother-in-law tried conclu-
sions in which a pistol, a sling shot, and a rock
all figured. The hero of this sketch pulled for
greener fields and pastures new, but the villians
still pursued him. He was leading a very exem-
plary life at Polkville in Cleveland county, when
a Rutherford constable, with the power of ap-
parently, the entire county at his back, told the

A HisTOEY OF Amos Owens' Life. 45

offender to put up his liands. This he did, and a
search of his pockets revealed nothing more dead-
ly than a small plow- wrench. He was placed un-
der heavy bond, with orders to report at Cherry
Mountain on a day and d^te provided. The un-
fortunate came to this writer and said that our
services were desired as attorney in his behalf.
He was told that Ye scribe was not a lawyer, but
tried to be an honest man. He was. asked why
we were taken for a lawyer. He said: "a man
who contested everything, conceded nothing and
talked by the hour was a lawyer by nature,
instinct and profession." We reported at the
temple of justice on Cherry Mountain, one mile
from Castle Owens, and found every-body in that
region was a partisan, on one side or the other.
The learned magistrate looked at me, and asked
if I had a license to practice law. He was informed
that some men have a roving commission and can
practice where they please. The trial proceeded,
and it was racy. When we cross-examined a
woman in the case, she invariably used her last
and strongest argument — tears. Finally every-
thing wept, but the "lawyer," his client and the
mules that furnished our means of transportation
to the trial. The magistrate looked wise, said it
was a "haynous" offense with which my client
was charged. He gave it as his opinion that my
client should be hung, and called on him to stand
up and receive the death sentence. He was in-
formed that the defendant should not hang, or if
he did, I'd see that the other fellow was hung too.
He finally released the defendant who came home,
took the pledge, and now wants to preach, but
can't read.

CHAPTER XVn.

We now come to the last time Amos Owens was
called to appear before a tribunal for violation of

46 A HiSTOEY OF Amos Owens' Life.

the revenue laws.

In 1890 he was arrested, and taken before Judge
Dick in Charlotte, 'N. C. His head was now white
as the driven snow, and the tender heart of Judge
Dick was touched with pity. Tears rose to his
kindly eyes, for the official was a man of generous
and humane impulses. In a voice vibrant with
emotion, he said: "Amos Owens, stand up.
Three times you have worn the garb of a convict,
and time and again have you been fined and im-
prisoned. You are said to be a man of noble im-
pulses and many worthy traits of character.
Your gray hairs should be a crown of glory in-
stead of a badge of infamy. Amos, you and I are
on the shady side of the hill of life, and soon
shall be called from time to eternity. Why do
you live the life of an Ishmael with your hand
raised against the majesty of tlie law and the
hand of organized society against you^^ Amos, I
can but believe there are deep and hidden well-
springs of good in your nature, and ere I am
called to the bar of a just God, I shall appeal to
the generosity of your better nature. Amos, as
man speaks to man, will you cease to violate the
laws of you country and to be an out-cast of so-
cietyf An intense hush pervaded the court
room, for never before had -any appeal been made
to the generous nature of this ancient transgres-
sor.

Then something happened that the shock of
battle, the groans and shrieks of dying comrades,
the privations of army prison life and the frown-
ing walls of Sing Sing has failed to call forth.

The hardened look of defiance faded from his
face, tears welled to his eyes, his rugged frame
shook with feeling. In a voice choking with emo-
tion he said; "Judge, I'll— try." The effect was
electrical. All the judicial dignity in the State
could not have restrained the rapturous yell that

A History of Amos Owens' Life. 47

rose from the audience, for the house was packed
to everflowing. The sight of the audacious moon-
shiner who had hitherto seemed to have a de-
moniac spirit that no man could tame, weeping,
with contrition at the bar of Justice, and the
dignified judge in tears; convinced all present
that ' 'a touch of nature makes us all wondrous
kind."

The lawyers present, the representatives of the
press, and many others, including a red legged-
grass hopper, grasped his hand in welcome. Then
and thereupon the lawyers of Shelby, Charlotte
and Rutherfordton "chipped in" and bought him
a fine beaver and a pair of gold-baned eye-glasses.
His storm-rent and battle scarred visage took on a
softer light than ever before, and he went his way,
it is hoped, to sin no more.

Judge Dick has been called to his record, and
Amos venerates his memory. Pretty much all his
original enemies have likewise passed over the
river, and he is now enthroned at Cherry Moun-
tain— listening at the wind wailing through his
forest pines, aud looking with pride on his one
thousand Inroad acres. With the exception of
George Vanderbilt, he is the only man that owns
an entire mountain in the State. While the red-
legged grass-hopper has ceased to be a burden, his
head flourishes like the almond tree, those that
look out of the window are becoming darkened,
and the strong man begins to tremble. Let us
hope, that when the pitcher is broken at the
fountain and the golden cord be loosened, when
the mourners go about the streets ; that he shall
b3 with the redeemed around the great white
throne. Should he be with that favored multi-
tude, it can certainly apply to his case: "These
are they who came up through great tribulations. "
Whatever may be his fate in eternity, he is cer-
tainly the most wonderful blockader, quick or

48 A HisTOEY OF Amos Oweks' Life.

dead, and it can be said of him as of Napoleon, the
Great, "The man withont a model and without a
shadow."

CHAPTER XVIII.

Recently, signs have been discovered that this
mountain is fall of valuable mineral. Three-
fourths of the world's supply of mica is found in
North Carolina, and a mine is being worked here
that contains this mineral in paying quantities.
The forest wealth of this mountain, were it near
a good market, would be the means of an im-
mense fortune to some shifty up-to-date investor.
This State has more varieties of timber than the
same area anywhere else on earth, and every kind
of tree is found here that grows in the State ex-
cept about three species that abound in the tide-
water region. It is, besides, the natural home of
many medicinal herbs, among others the famous
ginseng or "Sang" as it is called in mountain par-
lance. All who have ever read ' 'The Sang Dig-
ger" by Amelia Rino Chandler, know that the
ginseng root has great commercial value. The
best customers are the ' 'heathen Chinese, " who
use it in their Joss houses in burning incense, and
also for medical properties. Gold has b9en found
on this mountain, also silver and lead. There is
a well-founded tradition that one of the With-
rows in the shooting matches popular in his day
and generation, always got his lead from here,
but would never tell any one the location of his
mine. The secret perished with him, but he re-
vealed to some confidential friends, that it was
somewhere on Cherry Mountain.

A few years since, a firm in Germany discover-
ed that monazite, a yellow sand found here, has
a great commercial value. It was used to gener-
ate an incandescent light, being like mica, im-
perious to ordinary heat. The first and most

A HisTOEY OP Amos Owens' Life. 49

valuable mine of monazite was located on Cherry
Mountain, and this industry made L. A. Gettys,
then, a struggling and obscure school teacher, a
capitalist. For beautiful wild flowers this place
is not surpassed on earth, and mention has been
before made of the grand panorama of scenery
that unfolds itself before your gaze. The crest of
this mountain being in the Iso-Thermal belt,
peaches, apples, grapes, and other fruit crops are
unfailing, as they are above the frost-line. Were
a good road built to the top of this mountain, a
nice boulevard or driveway on top, an up to date
hotel and observatory, this would be an ideal re-
sort. In the sultry summer season it would be a
welcome retreat for the southerner who wishes
surcease from heat, malaria and mosquitoes,
while it would, also, be a delightful winter resort
for those who wish to escape the rigors of a win-
ter in more northern climes. The present owner
of Cherry Mountain, as befere stated, is unletter-
ed, and in his circumscribed sphere, could see no
way under heaven or among men to make a living
except to still and make bounce. He reverently
believed that he should be allowed to make free
whiskey, and regarded the acts of the government
as a species of "taxation without representation."
Like the bold barons that came from Runnymede,
and at the point of the sword, forced the haugh-
ty King John who bore the scepter of power and
woi-e the purple of authority, to grant the charter
of human rights, he has alone tried to resist the
government, in the zeal worthy of a better cause.
In the light of successful achievement, we can
honor our forefathers for resisting a tax on tea
and glass, which was levied to meet expenses of a
war for our interest, but when it comes to Red-
mond, Amos Owens and others of that ilk raising
the flag of revolt— why that is altogether a differ-
ent matter.

So A History OF Amos Owen's' hml

While whiskey is evidently a curse, is it not
as blighting in its effects on society, if made by k
trust of steam distilleries and the tax evaded as
for Amos Owens to make a few gallons by hand
and decline to pay the revenue? Such 'is the rea-
soning of this man of such a wonderful experience
and such is the fair verdict, in practice justice or
otherwise.

CHAPTER XIX.

This work was written by one who never saw a
moonshine distillery, and who deplores the moon-
shiner's persistence in their precarious calling.

The important datas- were given by Amos
Owens, by Dr. Thomas Carson of Bostic, J. C. El-
liott of Polkville and other men of probity and
character. At the request of Amos Owens, him-
self, the work was written and is hereby offered
to the public. It would have been just as easy to
picture him as the leader of a ferocious banditti
who revelled in -scenes of blood. It would have
been just as easy to say that as a land-pirate he
kidnapped beautiful maidens, and extorted heavy
ransoms for their deliverance. The flights of
fancy might also have conjured a spider-legged
dude of twenty-three summers, who, with a signal
service tin shield under his lapeL a dark lantern
in one hand a cast barrelled swamp angel in the
other, rushed on Amos Owens and one hundred
beetle-browed confederates, and bellowed at them
to surrender in the name of the State. The same
process could have evolved a beautiful maiden of
"nineteen, " wild-eyed, haggard and dishevelled,
who rushed before the foot-lights and shrieked:
"Oh, Sirs, spare him fori love him." Candor
compels the statement that nothing so tragical
ever occurred in the experience of this bold block-
ader. He is blood-guiltless as far as officers are
concerned, but as a sharp shooter in the ranks of

A HisTOEY OF Amos Owens' Life.' 51

the Confederacy, he may have slain some of the
opposing foemen.

CHAPTER XX.

In all well-regulated novels the hero has to
steal his bride, and is pursued by her irate father
and about five hundred horsemen.

They camp three days on the trail of the fugi-
tives, the old man and his retinue swearing they
are going to bathe their hands in gore.

On the fourth day they overhaul the fleeing
pair, who are both mounted on the same "richly
caparisaned steed," and the hunted Lochinar
turns at bay. After a fierce struggle, in which
about seventy-five of the attacking party bites the
dust, the facts develop that the couple were mar-
ried not two hours since by a wandering justice
of the peace, and the marriage certificate is placed
in evidence. By strawberry marks and infantile
attire, the bride-groom proves his lineage on one
side from a sored-eye wandering minstrel of an
Italian count, and on the other from a pig-sticker
of Chicago.

These credentials are satisfactory, and the old
ma 11 knt)ws his son-in-law is no plebian, but a high
roller. They go back to his palace and for six
weeks there is a round of merry-making and war
sail.

CHAPTERXXI

Amos Owens was married once and but once, to
Miss May Sweezy. When his time came to marry
he got on his horse, "Old Hickory" and rode over
to old man Sweezy 's. The old man was worming
and suckering tobacco, and on seeing Amos, got
off the original observation. ' 'Light and look at
yer saddle-" "I hain't got time," said Amos,
"wharisMary Ann?" "She has gone to peel
some walnuts to dye some cloth, what's up?"

52 A History op Amos Owens' Life.

' 'Oh, nothing, particular, " said Amos, we thought
we'd marry this evening." "Marry! the devil!"
Quoth the old man, pretending as is usual under
such conditions, to be greatly surprised. "No I
just wanted his daughter, " quoth the irrepressible
Amos, ' 'arid had no idea of marrying the whole
family. "

The old man grinned, humped himself over a
tobacco plant, and Amos hunted up the future
partner of his joys and sorrows. She was found,
bare-headed and bare-footed, coming with a bas-
ket of walnut hulls. This she delivered, and
making no other changes in her toilet except to
put on her home made shoes and ' 'wagon cover"
bonnet, she gayly mounted on old Hickory behind
Amos. They hunted up a justice of the peace and
stated their business. He soon pronounced the
ceremony, and was then and there tendered a
coon-skin and a quart bottle of brandy. He
threw the coon-skin on the floor and then and
there took an observation of the heavens over the
end of that bottle. Amos brought her to his
three story house, which was not three stories high
but three stories long, and she that evening milk-
ed the cow and set a hen, while Amos made an ox-
yoke and repaired his wagon harness. That is all
there is in the way of romance about his marriage,
and it is to be observed that he has been kind to
his family and through all his privations and vic-
issitudes, she has been a help-meet true as steal.

Sketches and cuts of this remarkable man have
appeared from time to time in Police Gazette,
Chicago Elade, Pennsylvania Grit, Charlotte Ob-
server, Cleveland Star, Morganton Herald, Shel-
by Aurora and other periodicals and publications,
and as the author first "dug him up," so to speak,
he now offers to the public the inclosed matter in
book form. As the hero has kept no diary, many
interesting facts are omitted. The work is closed,

■ A History of Amos Owens' Life. 53

in the hope that the reader will be at least enter-
tained.

"CORN CRACKER."

CHAPTER XXII.

In connection with the history of this notorious
blockader, notice will be taken of another cele-
brated character, likewise a mountaineer. He is
known to profane history as Jerry Bowlin, and is
the greatest exponent, living or dead, of ' 'squatter
soverignty. " Like Amos Owens he is unlettered,
and like him in other respects, he is well nigh re-
doubtable. His age is about seventy-five years,
and in person he is strong, rugged, and of medium
height. His hair is dark his eyes are gray, while
his firmly compressed mouth and resolute chin,
indicate great determination.

On the corner of the counties of Rutherford,
Burke and McDowell, he staked a claim, so long
since that the memory of man runneth not back to
the contrary. He married a wife at an early age,
and, in a pine pole ' 'sway-backed" cabin, under-
took to rear a family. Eor their meagre subsist-
ence they planted a patch of corn, raised a small
garden every year, hunted squirrels, pulled tan-
back, and hunted herbs of a commercial value.

At length .' 'pay dirt" was found in the vicinity,
and the syndicate known as the Golden Valley
Mining Company was organized and began opera-
tion. The land was what is called speculation
land, and they bought up a large boundary. In
this iDOundary, was the modest mansion of Jerry
Bowlin, with the small clearing he had opened.
Here was a clash of interests, and the haughty re-
presentative of the corporation told Jerry to ab-
squatulate. But Jerry took another hitch at his
belt, tightened his coon-skin cap on his head, and
told them he was there for the season. Scare-

54 A History of Amos Oweists' Life.

liead notices with heavy penalties were posted and
read in his hearing, but Jerry took a fresh nip of
long green, and pursued the even terror of his way.
The writ of ejectment was served by the sheriff,
but Jerry observed that he had always noticed
that lightning in the north was a mighty good
sign of rain. The sheriff came with the regula-
tion posse of sixteen stalwart men, but found
nothing to throw out of the house but a maul and
wedge. Not a bed, cooking utensil, or article of
apparel was in sight, Jerry again remarked that
lightning in the north was a ' 'shore" sign of rain,
getting out his "twist" meantime, and taking a
very consoling nip of long green. That night
there was a sound of revelry in his hails, and the
flickering light of pine knots shone over fair wo-
men and brave men, while beds stood in their ac-
customed places, raiment for male and female
dangled from wooden pins in the wall, while the
savory smell of flrying pork rose from a "spider,"
and corn bread "ripened" in the skillet. The
next morning he met a representative of the syn-
dicate, that informed him with some asperity that
he had to vambose the ranch — that money was no
object. That they had money to burn, and would
dislodge him if it cost one hundred thousand dol-
lars. He meditated for five minutes, and remark-
ed that he had been noticing the weather nearly
seventy years, and never saw it fail to rain when
it lightened in the north. The dignitary of a
syndicate said when their company tried to
"raise" a man from their territory they "raised"
him whether it lightened at all or not; and they
each went his way. The next morning the Sher-
iff of Rutherford county again reported with his
regulation posse of sixteen brawny men, at the
domicle of Jerry. The latter came out, bowed
gracefuly, and remarked: "Gentlemen, I may
have never told you before, but I have taken per-

Nortfi Carolina Sfafe Library
Raleigh

A History of Amos Owens' Life. 55

tickler notice tliat when it lightens in the north —
The Sheriff here stuck a gun in his face, and
said: You old whelp, where are your goods? Yes-
terday you had nothing to throw out but a maul
and wedge, and last night your house was full
up, of beds, clothing, and cooking utensils, and
you were having a shin-dig. Now I'am going to
pull down ' 'your durned old house. " The house
was pulled down, and not a woman, child, article
of clothing or cooking utensil was visible. The
Sheriff left, and the syndicate rejoiced. But the
next night the sound of revelry was again heard,
and some members of the syndicate went down to
reconnoiter. They found the house up and in tact
but still sway-backed, the beds and clothing
in their places. Pork and Squirrel frying, and
Jerry leading a break-down. They slunk back to
their places, feeling that syndicates sometimes
met their match. On the next morning Jerry
passed the mining shaft with his long rifle on his
shoulder, and remarked: "If you see the Sheriff,
I wish you'd tell him I said it is a good sign of
rain to see it lighten in the north."

COEN CRACKER.
M. L. WHITE.

POLKVILLE, ]Sr. C.

— .-«5(}Vil.i-_

BIO B 097W

White, M. L.

A history of the life of Amos Owens, the

3 3091 00090 9366

DATE DUE

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GAYLORD

PRINTED INU.S.A.

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NOTTTH CAROLINIANA
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N. C.